Behind The Scenes: Litho Production

Meet Chris, our Litho Print Production Manager. Chris has been in the business for 35 years, so if you need any advice on the technical nitty gritty, he’s the guy to go to!

Hi Chris, can you tell us a little bit about what you do for Route 1 Print?

I’m the Production Manager for The Litho Production Stream. This means that I have overall responsibility for all Route 1 Print jobs produced on our four Litho presses, including the printing, finishing and dispatch of those jobs.

What does your typical day look like?

My typical day consists of managing the production flow through my team of supervisors, schedulers and team leaders. I hold regular daily meetings to keep myself completely up to date with how production is progressing. The large number of jobs we have to produce in a day means that it’s essential that the production flow is maintained at all times, so I spend a lot of time making sure I’m fully aware of any issues that might arise and if they do, I ensure that they’re resolved swiftly. I also work closely with Route 1’s customer service team, offering technical advice and assisting with any production based questions they have.

What did you do prior to your role at Route 1 Print?

I’ve been in the print industry since I left school, 35 years ago. I completed an Apprenticeship in Printing and Reprographic Techniques at the London College of Printing, whilst working in local government as a Printing Trainee. After that I worked on the shop floor for a few years actually running the printing presses before progressing into Production Management. Before joining Route 1 Print, I was Production Manager in a commercial printers. I was responsible for 150 people, working all aspects of production from studio through to dispatch.

Favourite job along the way?

Does it sound corny if I say this one? (Laughs) Before I started working here, I actually had it in my head that print was a dying trade, and that I’d just have to get myself through to retirement. But on arriving here, I saw that Route 1 Print has a completely different energy to anything I’d previously experienced, and it does things in a way that I’ve never seen before. It’s a dynamic, growing company and because of it, I have a renewed faith that if you do print right, the way we do here, you can build a thriving business from it. It’s this realisation paired with the exciting way things are done here that makes this one my favourite job.

What, in your opinion, makes Route 1 Print stand out from its competitors?

What gives Route 1 the edge is innovation. I’ve been in print a long time and I’ve seen a lot of printing companies that just continue to do things in the same old way they’ve always done them. What I like with Route 1 is that not only do we come up with new products, we come up with new and innovative ways of working – in customer service, in production and in marketing. We don’t feel the need to fit in with what everyone else is doing, we’re always looking for something different.

Thanks to Route 1, I now see a real future for print. It’s a vibrant, growing business and I can’t quite believe how much Route 1’s grown in the time I’ve been here – 3 years. In my experience of the industry, I’ve never seen any company grow at the rate this one does and to be a part of that is brilliant!

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ISO Certified

Bluetree Design & Print Ltd T/A has been certified to ISO 9001:2008 & ISO 14001:2004 for the following scope:

ISO 9001:2008: The production and supply of digital and lithographically printed products on paper, board and plastic substrates at the Manvers site.

ISO 14001:2004: The environmental management of all operations at the Manvers site, including lithographic printing and small and large format digital printing and finishing operations.

Certification is subject to periodic surveillance and re-assessment. For further information regarding the validity of the certification please contact Print and Media Certification on info@printcertification.co.uk